Deer hunting with a 12ga slug

justjeepin86

justjeepin86

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
Winston-Salem, NC
I don't have any experience hunting deer with anything other than my 30-06. Where I hunt at my folks place is pretty tight and very overgrown with probably a max shot of 75 yds. I feel like it would be a little safer shooting a slug or buckshot vs a high powered rifle since there are homes near by. I don't shoot towards the houses, before that is brought up. I have done some reading on the net and there are opinions all over the board. I want some first hand experience on how they perform and what kind of range I can expect. I have a coworker that is offering me a good deal on a gun.
 
If your huntin on the ground maybe think about a slug gun. If not and your going to be in a tree I'd keep my rifle.
 
I have a customer that has a big farm in Ohio and we make a trip deer hunting there every year.
No rifles are allowed in Ohio.

I bought a dedicated slug gun a few years ago and have killed 3 deer with it. It does the job.
I wouldnt want to shoot it 75 yards, ever. But 30-40 yards its brutal.
 
Fabrik8 said:
Smooth bore, or rifled barrel with sabot?
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It has a rifled barrel and a smooth bore with it.

anvilrubi said:
If your huntin on the ground maybe think about a slug gun. If not and your going to be in a tree I'd keep my rifle.
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Yeah, I hunt in a stand.

Ron said:
I have a customer that has a big farm in Ohio and we make a trip deer hunting there every year.
No rifles are allowed in Ohio.

I bought a dedicated slug gun a few years ago and have killed 3 deer with it. It does the job.
I wouldnt want to shoot it 75 yards, ever. But 30-40 yards its brutal.
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I have heard they are good with sabots to, at least, 100 yds. But, that's why I ask people I know.
 
You've got both barrels, so I'd stick a scope on it and try the rifled barrel with a few types/brands of sabot and see if that suits your needs.

The thing is, you'll never know unless you try it out for your particular conditions and what you're looking for. My solution might not be your solution, etc.

It's been a really long time since I've been able to get out in the woods, but I used to really like going out with a shotgun. It's similar to going out with a bow (my other favorite); it's intimate and fairly close range, and you have to pick your shots and opportunities instead of being able to reach out and touch something at long distance.
 
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A good rifled barrel with sabot slugs will get you 100 yards in minute of deer accuracy.

Smooth bore with rifled slugs is 40 yards max.
 
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730 grain .69 cal. mini or 450 grain round ball...accurate to atleast 150 yards. I think you need this. Oh and it is rifled too.The mini ball take 60 grains ff black...round ball is 100 grains black.
 
20 gauge! Ohio and Michigan hunters knock them down easily at 100yds regularly. I have friends and family in both states hunting with them.
 
I second that...a 20 gauge slug gun will do you better. It'll travel farther and drop less. My dad had a nice 870 he had put together just for Ohio and Indiana trips.
 
My 7 year old shot his first deer with a 870 express youth 20 gauge this year with buck shot.:huggy:I say stay with the 12 gauge so none of your buddy's call you g*y:gay::gay: still on thin ice here:fuck-you: .or listen to the sgt & use muzzel loader way more accurate .
 
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I almost exclusively hunt deer with a shotgun. I use 3" OOB with 15 pellets and it has never let me down up to 50 yards.
 
I had a smooth bore/rifle sight 12ga. 870 that would shoot 5" groups @ 100 yrds. w fosters all day long. I only sold it because the slide clicked a few times while I was sneaking around the woods and spooked deer. If you're worried about the neighbors close by why not hunt w a bow or crossbow? They'll likely never know you're hunting.

BigClay said:
I almost exclusively hunt deer with a shotgun. I use 3" OOB with 15 pellets and it has never let me down up to 50 yards.
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I can't remember all the deer I killed w 00 and more than a few were killed by just one pellet. 5 2 3/4 or 3" rounds in a semi-auto send a whole lot of lead downrange quick.
 
Thanks for all the input. The gun my friend wants to sell is a Remington 870 super slug. That's the main reason I want it. Seems like a cool gun. If I don't buy that one, I probably won't consider another. This is a good deal.

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justjeepin86 said:
Thanks for all the input. The gun my friend wants to sell is a Remington 870 super slug. That's the main reason I want it. Seems like a cool gun. If I don't buy that one, I probably won't consider another. This is a good deal.

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Do you have a good deer rifle? The r a son I ask is it's a sickening feeling when a shot presents its self just out of your reach.
 
anvilrubi said:
Do you have a good deer rifle? The r a son I ask is it's a sickening feeling when a shot presents its self just out of your reach.
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Yes, I do. But, where I typically hunt, the shot can't be much more than 50yds or so. If I went where I had a longer shot, I would carry the 30.06.

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Savage 220 with federal premium slugs. 150-200 yard accuracy without the chance of a projectile flying a mile.


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I've been looking into slug hunting also because my property I hunt isn't practical for my 7mm. Like you, the longest shot I would have is probably 75 yds. now. I have bursitis in my shoulders so a bow is out of the question. I've also thought about a crossbow, and I'm planning on buying a muzzle loader, but I already have a nice shot gun that just needs a slug barrel.
 
I hunted for years and killed a lot of deer when I lived in Indiana with my 870. Early on it was just a regular barrel and slugs. Then they came out with rifled barrel. Added that, Burris scope and some sabot slugs. It will hold a 3" group at 100 yds all day long. I would not hesitate at all to use it today. My place here at the house is similar with shots less than 75 yds are the norm. I use my 30-30 simply because it is more compact.
 
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